Question
My baby developed jaundice on the third day of birth, and it’s now been seventeen days and it hasn’t gone away yet. He takes the breast milk well, and his stool is golden yellow. The total bilirubin level is 150 umol/L. I’m not sure if it’s pathological jaundice.
Answer
Normal full-term newborns may develop jaundice between 2 to 3 days after birth, and the bilirubin levels typically decrease between 4 to 6 days, 7 to 10 days, and become relatively normal around 14 days. However, for premature babies, it can be normal by the 20th day. Normal jaundice levels should not exceed 7.0 umol/L. Newborn jaundice is categorized into physiological jaundice and pathological jaundice. Pathological jaundice lasts longer and requires medication intervention and blue light therapy. It is also important to check for breast milk jaundice.